Abstract
The concept of strength of materials is crucial to the design process in manufacturing. However, it has been limited to addressing its coverage in technologyーa subject taught in Japanese junior high schools. To address this concept, simplified material testing machines have been developed, but no research has addressed their systematic characteristics. To gain systematic knowledge of the simplified testing machine as a teaching material, we tried to not only categorize its features that had been previously reported but also evaluate its educational significance. The attributes and merits of the load and displacement application system, the capacity of maximum load, and so on in the testing machines were revealed. For example, among the load application systems, mechanical systems are desirable for applying loads stably, whereas the hydraulic one can apply a large capacity of load. For measuring load, the merit of using weighing scales is that they are simple and inexpensive, while load cells can address interdisciplinary content. By evaluating the educational significance of the teaching material, it was revealed that there was not only an enhancement of interest and curiosity in strength of materials but also a possibility of being useful in teaching materials that address STEM/STEAM education, including problem-based learning.
